06.37 Iíve been to the toilet. The rain is coming down outside and the thunder can be heard. I am going back to sleep. We are still at Shield Guesthouse in Mbabane, Swaziland.

07.39 It is still thunder outside. My friends claim it has been a heavy thunderstorm during the night. They have been awake several times by the sound. Christer has reported that the windows have shuttered and he saw a blue light as the lightning struck nearby. I havenít noticed a thing. Speaking of thing, the rain is soon a thing of the past. Is it leaving or just catching its breath? I sure hope it is leaving because we are soon leaving to head for the minibuses.

08.56 Our breakfasts are history. I sure hope it goes for the rain as well. We are about to make an attempt for the bus station. I guess our home here has been OK. A bad thing was all the fuss around the payment. I sure will miss the band of dogs. "Big wolf" has been on guard in front of our door each night.

09.14 We have checked out and have walked out from our home. The rain came back in full bloom as we reached the bus station. We were lucky and got inside a large bus going to Manzini before the rain came down. A cheerful choir of kids can be heard in the loudspeakers. They are singing gospel and hymns. A person with something which looks likes a mushroom on his head sits a bit in front of me.

The dogs came to say goodbye.

Religious music inside, rain outside of this bus going from Mbabane to Manzini.

10.22 We arrived to Manzini. It was plenty of religious songs in the loudspeakers. There were also welldressed people and a couple of priests. It might have been the church bus? We left the bus and jumped over the "ponds" of water to a minibus. We brought our backpacks with us inside it. The rain goes on and they just connected the little luggage wagon to the bus. Roberth claims that they also brought out a tarpaulin. They just brought out Christer¥s backpack.

10.35 All the packing has moved back/outside. Another thing which went outside was our passports. We are about to be registered. I sure hope they will bring our passports back. Roberth is paying for the trip to Mtubatuba in South Africa. It will cost us US$23,50 each. Outside of the bus, in the rain, we¥ve seen people wearing an Irish sport jersey, high heels and sandals with socks in them.

Heavy rain falling over the bus station in Manzini.

10.52 The passports got back and so did our driver. We had just started as we stopped. We are about to fill up with petrol. Is it so hard to fill up before we get inside a bus?

11.25 We are heading south through Swaziland. The rain shows no sign of resigning. The rain has flooded the road in some areas.

SOUTH AFRICA

12.52 Weíve been stamped out and in. Weíve left Swaziland and are back in South Africa, or to be more precise in the state of Kwazulu-Natal. The rain keeps coming down! We had to jump over deep pools of water to get to the passport police. It was mud everywhere.

13.43 A man in black with a grey green key strap around his neck is pulling out an air hose. We are at the petrol station Engen in Mkuze. We have exactly 110 kilometres left to travel.

15.04 "Walking on sunshine" with Katrina and the waves can be heard. There is neither walking nor any sunshine here. There is water but no waves. We are standing under a roof in Mtubatuba. The bus stopped here and we got out. What shall we do now? Are we in the outskirts of Mtubatuba or what? We are in need of a taxi, partly due to the weather, partly to the fact that weíve no clue where our prebooked accomodation is located.

15.42 We sought shelter under another roof. Roberth asked a uniformed man about how to get a taxi. The man in question offered to give us a ride. He told us that no taxis were needed since the town is so small. We went with the man from Inyala Security to Khumbulani Lodge at 388 Mkuhla Crescent (http://www.khumbulani.com) Here we are staying in room number 7. We also booked places on a safari tomorrow.

16.27 Our backpacks got wet during the ride in the luggage wagon. The wetness has also affected our belongings. Roberthís bag took the worst beat. My bed is covered in wet papers, small guidebooks and other stuff. We pretty sure realised the not so wise thing to keep important papers in paper folders. They give away colour and have among other things ruined one of Christer¥s shirts.

Finally we arrived to Mtubatuba. The rain is still falling.

Is anything dry at all?

18.15 Our host John drove us to an ATM and then to KFC. We came to realise that we had arrived at the very centre of Mtubatuba earlier today. It isnít bigger. At KFC we had a tasty meal. It was chicken actually. We bought some snacks at the BP petrol station on our way home. We started to stroll home from there. Suddenly a car stopped and we heard a voice in the dark. Are you looking for Khumbulani? It was John. He drove us the short bit that was left. He had given us the number to the place. I had forgotten to ask about the country code. Now we know it is 27.

20.33 It is easy street here. Weíve gone to buy some beer to get things going. There is a small bar here at Khumbulani.

21.37 We had beer and have paid our debts. We are about to cool down before we turn off the lights. We will be having an early safari tomorrow. The wet stuff has begun to dry and have been put aside.

Monday 3rd of August

04.54 There is neither any rain nor any sun. John just knocked on the door and told us that the coffee was waiting for us. The safari transport will be here within half and hour.

05.14 John has just served us some coffee, much obliged. He has also pointed out that I look like Elton John, what can I say? How many times have I heard that by now?

05.40 Ok, here goes. Paul is behind the wheel. He just drove past us but got back a little later. He had problems finding the right place to stop. There are some Italians with us in the jeep. We are sitting in front of them. Weíve been given some blankets to protect us from the cold morning and the wind. Binoculars are also included.

06.12 The journey goes on through the morning darkness and we can hardly see the people on the side of the road, early commuters waiting for transport for work or school.

06.32 Weíve reached the gateway to the Hluhluwe Umfolozi Park.

Our safari vehicle in the early morning darkness.

Peter is looking like a ghost.

The lions were here. They left just before we arrived to the spot.

07.38 Without any luck we¥ve travelled to see lions and wild dogs. We have heard ìthe pole vaulterî, the bird that is. Paul keeps getting text messages from colleagues in other parts of the park about which animals theyíve seen. It is a little of a lottery to find out if we will be seeing them or not. Weíve booked a half day safari and hope to see some animals at least.

07.50 It is morning by the water hole. The animals have gathered to get some coffee, sandwiches and biscuits. The animals, well that is us of course. There are no other forms of animals in sight. I do hope we will be looking at some cool animals soon.

Christer in front of our vehicle.

Paul is giving us breakfast close to one of the water holes in the park.

08.38 Weíve just taken some pictures of white rhinoceros. They arenít white at all. They are wide over the nose, snout or what ever it is that rhinos got. White is from the Dutch word widje meaning wide. Close to the rhinos in the rain there is a wildebeest. There is almost always a wildebeest close to some other animals. They seem to sneak into the other herds.

09.31 We just saw and took pictures of a nyala. This one was a male. In Swaziland we saw a female, they are striped. Weíve also seen a white and black vulture up in a tree. The rain yesterday have, unlucky for us, made the animals stay among the bushes without any need to seek water from the river. We are hoping to see some elephants but have so far only seen fresh droppings and some trees which theyíve destroyed.

In the rain they appeared, the big grass-eating rhinos.

White rhinos, the most common and least aggressive species of rhino.

Umfolozi River

A warthog gang. You will see lots of these animals on a safari.

A giraffe was looking at us.

11.55 A temporary stop in the safari has been made. It is time for braai. Braai is Afrikaans for barbeque. Weíve seen a whole lot of mammals so far; impala, kudu, nyala, wildebeest, zebra, giraffe, warthog, vervet monkeys, white rhino and reedbuck. Weíve also seen different kinds of birds but it is harder to remember their names. We donít only see a lot of animals on the safari we also get to know so much. Paul has given us some interesting information about each species that weíve seen. Weíve been told to look out for animals and let the others know if we¥ll see something interesting. We might have had excellent views but it was Paul with his trained eye who spotted most of the animals.

12.10 We made a visit to the souvenir shop while waiting for the lunch. We bought postcards and souvenirs.

Roberth behind a sign showing which animals that belong to the "Big 5".

A safari makes you hungry. This photo is from our excellent lunch.

Christer is enjoying excellent grilled meat. A big stone makes the table cloth remain on the table.

A perfect spot to have your own lunch in Hluhluwe Umfolozi Park.

12.45 It was a delicious lunch, grilled meat and sausage. I guess this is how we should have prepared our long sausage the other evening. We were served pasta and salad to the meat. We spoke with our safari buddies during the meal; they are from Italy and Milan to be more precise. It is always nice to meet others who share our ideas and views on travelling. A journey is an experience that stays. Things can get lost, break or get worn out, memories remains.

A male nyala, very different from the brown females with white stripes.

One of many zebras in the Hluhluwe Umfolozi Park.

Peter¥s camera with its excellent zoom captured this black rhino.

13.26 Weíve added some new animals to the group of seen animals. The new ones are black rhino and African buffalo. These two are a part of what is called the îBig fiveî The collection consists of the lion, the African elephant, the African buffalo, the leopard and the rhinoceros either the black or the white one. The members of the big five were chosen for the difficulty in hunting them and not their size. The term is now days used by tourists as they wish to brag about which animals they have seen. Even the experienced guides were excited after seeing a black rhino and one guide from another group tried to make us understand the amazing experience it is seeing one. It was far away up on a hill and could only be seen through our binoculars.

13.40 Christer spoiled the Italians joy in seeing a leopard. It turned out, after looking in the binoculars, to be a zebra¥s behind. We also managed to spot a running giraffe in our binoculars. A mighty sight for sure.

This part of the game reserve is very much untouched, no safaris, no roads, the animals can hide there.

14.30 We returned to Mtubatuba, said ciao to the Italians and bye to Paul. We are back home. This journal is fully written. It is time to bring out a new one.

17.35 The new journal is wet. It got wet during yesterday¥s trip here. I have to ignore the wet; the old journal is fully written. Weíve now been at the post office, surfed the internet and bought some stuff for tonight, tomorrow morning and tomorrowís journey away from here.

We returned to Khumbulani Lodge and John asked us about our day in the park.

18.52 We are getting dressed and being prepared to go with our hostess Kay to Saint Lucia which has more facilities for tourists. We wonít need any visas this time. Christer and I needed visas to visit the island nation of Saint Lucia in 2007. Now we will just visit a town with a similar name.

19.53 Today we will be having dinner at St Pizza in Saint Lucia. Weíve ordered rumpsteak. We will be drinking the wine Two Oceans Sauvignon.

21.20 It was incredibly tasty from the first to the last chew. Iíve just phoned Kay. All we can do now is wait. The big question is why they served our red wine in an ice bucket.

22.04 We are home again. We spoke with Kay about different things on our way home. One thing she said has made us wonder. She said that the monthly salary of a South African teacher was around US$950. From that 28% is going to taxes leaving $ 680. Add to that bills and stuff. There canít be much left. An animal crashed into the windshield on our way home. I wonder which kind of animal...probably a bird.

23.03 Christer and I have been out in the common room. He has written ten postcards and I have had coffee. Roberth has paid a visit to his bed. We are about to do the same to ours. Outside the moon is shining, the stars twinkle and the insects are playing their tunes.

Tuesday 4th of August

09.01 Two thirds of the travel team have been in the shower. The journal is still a bit wet. This day will have a lazy start before we head for the minibus stop.

10.21 We are sitting by the big table near the swimming pool and are having breakfast. The pool is being cleaned by a black man in a blue shirt (imagine if it was the other way round) and grey pants. We are discussing around which place in the world is the best to live in. Which climate is the best?

10.56 Nostalgia from yesterday is mixed with thoughts about today and the future. Our home and hosts have been ever so excellent. It has all you can ask for and more. The one that has thoughts to just pass here shall for sure rethink. Our luggage is drying in the sun. A cat just appeared and it is keeping us company.

Roberth looking at the Khumbulani Lodge swimming pool.

11.31 Weíve just squeezed ourselves and our belongings inside yet another minibus. We are at the bus station of Mtubatuba and have just written our names and phone numbers on a list. We are going to Durban today. The vendors are swarming outside of the bus. We had plans to order a transport from our home and straight to Durban. But such transport wasn't possible today.

11.48 We made a stop just as we had started. We are filling up with petrol. A young woman is filling up with petrol at a cost at 7,79 rand/litre, around U$ 1,06. She is filling up 38,51 litres. So the question is, can you figure out what it all costs?

12.09 The trees are standing in even, high and straight lines on both sides of the road. I got a feeling that they are planted. The trip is all but pleasant. The lack of space has forced Christer and Roberth to keep their luggage in their laps.

12.58 The landscape has changed. It is more open with more hills. Another thing which has changed is the distance to Durban. It is just 110 kilometres left.

Photo from a minibus trip to Durban.

13.40 Weíve left the road we were travelling on and have changed for the M27 towards Umdloti. Wait, we have changed road again. I wonder which one it is. All I know is that I¥ve got the Indian Ocean to my left.

13.59 The latest road was M4. It took us to Durban. We saw a large, white, newly built arena with an arc over it as we entered the city. It could have been yet another arena for the upcoming Soccer World Cup? More people are leaving the bus.

14.45 We got off the bus at the main minibus station. From there we took a taxi to our booked hostel, Tekweni Backpackers on 169 9th Avenue (http://www.tekwenibackpackers.co.za). There were some problems at the check in. A young lady with long hair showed us to our room, number 10. In the room we found a bunk bed made out of wooden posts and a wide bed made out of ordinary bed materials. The long haired girl pointed out that a neighbouring house was a shag shack. She also informed us that it was wise to avoid it. Tekweni by the way is another name for Durban.

16.02 It is time for some afternoon snack. Christer and I are having coffee. Roberth has settled with Coca Cola. As for something to munch on; Christer will have cheese muffin, Roberth has ordered banana crepes and I will have cinnamon crepes. We are at CaffÈ al Bacio on 170 Florida Road.

In our room at Tekweni Backpackers.

Florida Road, Durban.

Lunch at Caffé al Bacio.

17.08 Weíve walked up the street to Florida Centre. Here we have been to Book Base ñ Used books, a second hand book shop, on 275 Florida Road. People in ties are passing on the pavement, the very same pavement that we are about to use.

18.04 Weíve returned to our room. We are thinking about places to dine at. Weíve also done some shopping at the grocery store Spar. The fan is spinning, Christer is reading the local newspaper and Roberth is eating candy while I am writing this.

Peter and Roberth outside the bookshop Book Base.

Roberth making his way up to his bed.

19.54 It is time to get things going. It is time to get some dinner.

20.03 We are sitting and hanging by the bar at the restaurant Butcher Boys which is on 170 Florida Road. Yes, it is neighbouring the Caffe al Bacio. We are waiting for a table (http://www.butcherboysgrill.co.za).

21.06 We were offered a table and had soon ordered some wine, Nederburg Baronne (2007). We ordered a meat dish each and have enjoyed it to the max. About the question earlier today, we filled up petrol for 300 rand.

Roberth´s interesting main course at the restaurant Butcher Boys in Durban.